Belonging to Nowhere: A Phenomenological Study of the Identity Crisis of the Second Generation of Afghan Refugees in Balochistan

Abstract

This study investigates how the second generation of Afghan refugees who are born and raised in Balochistan feel about and express their sense of belonging and identity in the hosting community. The main purpose of this study is to analyze and understand how the second generation of Afghan refugees feel about their identity in terms of who they think they were, how they perceived themselves, whether they felt comfortable or uncomfortable identifying themselves Afghans in local community, and that how their identity affected their sense of belonging and their day to day life in Balochistan. This phenomenological study intended to explore the sense of identity of the young Afghan refugees by drawing on their individual and collective narratives of self and others as they struggle to be part of the social fabric and feel safe and accepted in Pakistani community. It also aimed to highlight how the identity crisis and the feeling of being other affected the needs, attitudes and perceptions of second generation Afghan refugees in the hosting community , and that how the second-generation Afghan refugees experience their sense of belonging and identification in two different national contexts (Afghanistan and Pakistan).This study uses qualitative phenomenological approach. It uses analysis of relevant secondary data, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that the identity crisis is still a challenging and major issue for Afghan refugee children.